Prev | Current Page 528 | Next

Paley, William, 1743-1805

"Evidence of Christianity"

" (Burnets Expos.
art. 6.)


CHAPTER III.
THE CONNEXION OF CHRISTIANITY WITH THE JEWISH HISTORY.
Undoubtedly our Saviour assumes the divine origin of the Mosaic
institution: and, independently of his authority, I conceive it to be
very difficult to assign any other cause for the commencement or
existence of that institution; especially for the singular circumstance
of the Jews adhering to the unity when every other people slid into
polytheism; for their being men in religion, children in everything
else; behind other nations in the arts of peace and war, superior to the
most improved in their sentiments and doctrines relating to the Deity.*
_________
* "In the doctrine, for example, of the unity, the eternity, the
omnipotence, the omniscience, the omnipresence, the wisdom, and the
goodness of God; in their opinions concerning providence, and the
creation, preservation, and government of the world." Campbell on Mir.
p. 207. To which we may add, in the acts of their religion not being
accompanied either with cruelties or impurities: in the religion itself
being free from a species of superstition which prevailed universally in
the popular religions of the ancient world, and which is to be found
perhaps in all religions that have their origin in human artifice and
credulity, viz.


Pages:
516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540